Shadows at Midday

A blind investigator. A 170-year-old murder. A ghost desperate for redemption. Mara Westfield has solved three impossible cases, but nothing could prepare her for what waits in Thornfield Hollow's forgotten archives. When brilliant archivist Dr. Sarah Okonkwo vanishes hours after discovering evidence of systematic land fraud from the 1850s, Mara knows this is no ordinary disappearance. The documents Sarah found prove that Thornfield Hollow's most powerful families—including billionaire developer Victoria Hartwell—built their fortunes on stolen land and erased histories. But the dead remember what the living tried to forget. Haunting the Historical Society archives is the guilt-ridden spirit of Josiah Fletcher, the county clerk who forged the deeds that displaced seven families 170 years ago. For nearly two centuries, he's waited for someone who could hear his confession. Someone who could expose the truth he helped bury. Mara can see what others cannot—even without sight. Blind from retinitis pigmentosa, Mara perceives the world through enhanced senses and supernatural awareness. She communicates with ghosts, reads emotional echoes from objects, and uncovers truth hidden beneath layers of deception. Her methods are unconventional. Her results are undeniable. Partnering with Nate Thorne—a photographer's ghost from 1952 who serves as her eyes—Mara races against time to find Sarah before it's too late. But Victoria Hartwell will do anything to protect her family's secrets, including silencing anyone who threatens to expose the truth. As Mara digs deeper, she uncovers: Forged property deeds that stole fifty acres from the Morrison family Payment ledgers proving criminal conspiracy among founding families A pattern of violence and intimidation spanning generations Death threats against witnesses willing to speak the truth A kidnapping plot designed to suppress historical evidence This time, the truth will be heard—even if it costs everything.